2015 CPL Players of the Week

2015 919 Marketing Hitters of the Week

Hitter of the Week (Week 8):Jackson Mims (East Carolina) Gastonia:
A freshman at East Carolina, Mims had his best week of the season in week eight batting an outstanding .524 over five games for the Grizzlies. The 6-3 infielder did a little of everything for his team this week, notching 11 total hits with three doubles, one triple and four RBI for a .762 slugging percentage. He also got on base once via a hit-by-pitch to push his on-base percentage to .522, which helped him finish a perfect 4-for-4 on stolen bases.

Hitter of the Week (Week 7):Brian Miller (North Carolina) Holly Springs:
Miller, a freshman out of the University of North Carolina, has been one of the best hitters in the CPL all season long and week seven was arguably his best. Batting leadoff for the Salamanders Miller notched at least two hits in all five games played, finishing 14-for-22 with a .626 batting average, six RBI and .667 slugging percentage. Playing the part of catalyst for a Holly Springs team that finished the week on a tear, Miller scores six runs, drew three walks and stole five bases for a .680 on-base percentage.

Hitter of the Week (Week 6):Alex Destino (South Carolina) Wilmington:
Destino, a freshman at South Carolina this past spring, had his best week of the 2015 CPL season so far hitting .433 in six games for the Sharks. Batting cleanup, Destino totaled seven RBI and 13 hits including two doubles and three home runs for a .800 slugging percentage and 24 total bases on the week. Showing great patience at the plate, he only struck out three times in 30 at-bats while taking one walk for a .452 on-base percentage, of which helped him score four runs for the Sharks as well. His hot bat played a large role in Wilmington’s great start to the second-half as they have now won five games in a row and sit at the top of the second-half standings in the East.

Hitter of the Week (Week 5):Sammy Taormina (Liberty) Gastonia:
The redshirt sophomore out of Liberty, Taormina, swung a hot bat in week five finishing with a .455 batting average in five games played. Batting cleanup for the Grizzlies, Taormina totaled 10 hits with three doubles and six RBI for a .591 slugging percentage and 13 total bases. Standing at 6-2, 195, he also showed great patience at the plate, striking out only one time in 22 at-bats and drawing four walks for a .538 on-base percentage.

Hitter of the Week (Week 4):Nick Rotola (Oral Roberts) Wilmington:
The league’s batting average leader after four weeks of play, Rotola has been a force all season long for the Sharks but especially so in week four. The junior out of Oral Roberts notched 11 hits on the week, including two doubles for a .440 batting average in six games started. Batting leadoff for the Sharks, Rotola played the part of catalyst scoring six runs and going a perfect five for five on stolen bases to push his season total to 20, good for second in the league overall.

Hitter of the Week (Week 3):Will Shepherd (Liberty) Peninsula:
Shepherd, a sophomore out of Liberty, started six games for the Pilots on the week, and was dominant in every single one. He finished with an outstanding .481 batting average with five doubles, 13 hits and 18 total bases - all marking the highest on the week - while driving in five runs. The speedy outfielder also worked as a catalyst for a team that went 5-1 on the week, going a perfect 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts and scoring a league leading 12 runs on the week.

Hitter of the Week (Week 2):Hunter Newman (Trevecca Nazarene) Edenton:
Newman, a junior out of Travecca Nazarene, was a force in the middle of the Steamers lineup all week. Starting five games, the 6-2 infielder finished with a .429 batting average while driving in seven runs off a double, triple and two home runs. His 18 total bases led all hitters on the week and pushed his slugging percentage to .857 to go along with two walks and an on-base percentage of .478. After two weeks of play, Newman is in the top five in hits, slugging percentage, runs batted in and total bases.

Hitter of the Week (Week 1):Nick Lustrino (Old Dominion) Peninsula:
Lustrino, a junior at Old Dominion, started the season on a tear batting .529 over five games with nine total hits, two of which were for extra-bases giving him an impressive .571 slugging percentage. The 6-0, 185-pounder also played the part of catalyst for the Pilots, walking twice, stealing two bases and scoring five runs to help Peninsula to a 4-1 record on the week.

2015 919 Marketing Pitchers of the Week

Pitcher of the Week (Week 8):Mason Keen (East Carolina) Wilson
Keen was masterful for the Tobs on July 14, pitching a complete-game shutout versus division foe Fayetteville. Also a freshman out of East Carolina, Keen allowed only five hits over his nine scoreless innings and walked none for a 0.55 WHIP and .161 opponent’s batting average against. The right-hander struck out seven on the night, helping him to his second win of the season.

Pitcher of the Week (Week 7):Michael Maiocco (Flagler) Florence:
Maiocco was spectacular for the RedWolves on July 10 versus the Forest City Owls. The sophomore out of Flager University threw seven dominant shut-out innings, allowing only two hits and one walk while striking out ten for a 0.43 WHIP and .083 opponent’s batting average. This performance pushed his total season stats to an impressive 2.98 ERA in 42 1/3 innings pitched with 42 strikeouts.

Pitcher of the Week (Week 6):Mac Sceroler (Southeastern Louisiana) High Point-Thomasville:
On the mound, Sceroler was a workhorse for the HiToms in week six pitching ten innings in two appearances without giving up an earned run for a perfect 0.00 ERA. Seven of his ten innings came in a seven-inning complete game 6-1 victory over the Martinsville Mustangs on June 29. Combined with a three inning appearance later in the week, the Southeastern Louisiana freshman allowed only five hits while striking out 11 for a WHIP of 0.80. This type of success is nothing new for Sceroler who has been dominant all season long as he currently holds an overall ERA of 1.48 while striking out 36 in 31 1/3 innings pitched.

Pitcher of the Week (Week 5):Heath Holder (Georgia) Lexington County:
It was a magical week for Holder who threw a no-hitter for the Blowfish on June 23, marking the first no-hitter in the CPL since John Williams of Edenton accomplished that feat in 2013. The red-shirt senior out of the University of Georgia went nine strong innings for the win, allowing no runs to go along with his no-hitter and seven strikeouts. Making his start even more impressive was the fact it was against division rival Florence, and even more so that it was a pitcher’s duel throughout with Holder and the Blowfish ultimately coming out on top in a close one 1-0.

Pitcher of the Week (Week 4):Sam Mersing (Pittsburgh) Holly Springs:
On the mound, Sam Mersing completed a masterful performance for the Salamanders on June 18 striking out nine over 6 1/3 strong innings without allowing a run. The sophomore out of Pittsburgh gave up only one hit and two walks for an opponents’ batting average of .050 and WHIP of .474. His efforts helped the Salamanders finish off a 4-0 shutout over the Wilson Tobs and finish the week in fourth place in the East Division race.

Pitcher of the Week (Week 3):Ryan Hedrick (Presbyterian) HP-Thomasville:
On the mound, Ryan Hedrick continued his dominant start to the season out of the pen, adding yet another 10 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball to his ledger, pushing his total to 19 2/3 innings without allowing a single run, earned or otherwise, this season. The 5-11 freshman from Presbyterian also proved to be a stabilizing force this week for the team earning three wins for a perfect 3-0 record in three appearances. He struck out 12 batters while allowing only three hits and walking one for a WHIP of .374 and an opponent’s batting average of .086.

Pitcher of the Week (Week 2):Zach Prendergast (Seton Hall) Edenton:
Prendergast had one of the greatest nights on the mound in recent years for the Steamers on June 6 against the Peninsula Pilots. In fact, through 8 2/3 innings, versus the two-time defending CPL Petitt Cup Champions, he was perfect. Having retired 26 straight batters, the Pilots sent a pinch-hitter in CJ Needham to the plate who promptly broke up Prendergast’s perfect game with a home run. Even so the performance was one to be remembered, as the sophomore out of Seton Hall finished off a nine-inning complete game allowing only two hits, one run and zero walks while striking out 13 batters for a pristine .222 WHIP and .069 opponent’s batting average. His effort earned himself and the Steamers a 6-1 victory over the Pilots.

Pitcher of the Week (Week 1):Levi Gessell (Liberty) High Point-Thomasville:
On the mound, Gessell was almost unhitabble in his summer debut, going seven innings, allowing only one hit and striking out four for a staggering .048 opponent batting average and 0.43 WHIP. The freshman out of Liberty, did not allow a run and earned the win combining on an 8-0 shutout over Holly Springs on May 29.